ZRINYI,
MIKLOS, COUNT (1620-1664), Hungarian warrior, statesman and poet, the son of
George Zrinyi and Magdalena Szechy, was born at Csakvar. At the court of Peter
Pasmany the youth conceived a burning enthusiasm for his native language and
literature, although he always placed arms before arts. From 1635 to 1637 he
accompanied Szenkveczy, one of the canons of Esztergom, on a long educative
tour through Italy. During the next few years he learnt the art of war in defending
the Croatian frontier against the Turks, and approved himself one of the first
captains of the age. In 1645 he acted against the Swedes in Moravia, equipping
an army corps at his own expense. At Szkalec he scattered a Swedish division
and took 2000 prisoners. At Eger he saved the emperor, who had been surprised
at night in his camp by Wrangel. Subsequently he routed the army of Rakoczy
on the Upper Theiss. For his services the emperor appointed him captain of Croatia.
On his return from the war he married the wealthy Eusebia Draskovics. In 1646
he distinguished himself in the Turkish war. At the coronation of Ferdinand
IV. he carried the sword of state, and was made ban and captain-general of Croatia.
In this double capacity he presided over many Croatian diets, always strenuously
defending the political rights of the Croats
and steadfastly maintaining that as regarded Hungary they were to be looked
upon not as panes annexae but as a regn’um. During 1652—53 he was continually
fighting against the Turks, yet from his castle at Csáktornya he was in constant
communication’ with the learned world; the Dutch scholar, Jacobus Tollius, even
visited him, and has left in his Epistolae itinerariae a lively account of his
experiences. Tollius was amazed at the linguistic resources of Zrinyi, who spoke
German, Croatian, Hungarian, Turkish and Latin with equal facility. Zrinyi’s
Latin letters (from which we learn that he was married a second time, to Sophia
LObel) are fluent and agreeable, but largely interspersed with Croatian and
Magyar expressions. The last year of his life was also its most glorious one.
He set out to destroy the strongly fortified Turkish bridge at Esseg, and thus
cut off the retreat of the Turkish army, re-capturing all the strong fortresses
on his way. He destroyed the bridge, but the further pursuance of the campaign
was frustrated by the refusal of the imperial generals to co-operate. Still
the expedition had covered him with glory. All Europe rang with his praises~
It was said that only the Zrinyis had the secret of conquering the Turks. The
emperor offered him the title of prince. The pope struck a commemorative medal
with the effigy of Zrinyi as a fieldmarshal. The Spanish king sent him the Golden
Fleece. The French king created him a peer of France. The Turks, to wipe out
the disgrace of the Esseg affair, now laid siege to Uj-Zerin, a fortress which
Zrinyi had built, and the imperial troops under Montecuculi looked on while
he hastened to relieve it, refusing all assistance, with the result that the
fortress fell. It was also by the advice of Montecuculi that the disgraceful
peace of Vh.svár was concluded. Zrinyi hastened to Vienna to protest• against
it, but in vain. Zrinyi quitted Vienna in disgust, after assuring the Venetian
minister, Sagridino, that he was willing at any moment to assist the Republic
against the Turks with 6000 men. He then returned to Csáktornya, and there,
on the 18th of November, was killed by a wild boar which he had twice wounded
and recklessly pursued to its lair in the forest swamps, armed only with his
hunting-knife.

His poetical works first appeared at Vienna in 1651, under the title of The
Siren of the Adriatic (Hung.); but his principal work, Obsidio Szigetiana, the
epopoeia of the glorious selfsacrifice of his heroic ancestor of the same name,
only appeared in fragments in Magyar literature till Arany took it in hand.
It was evidently written under the influence of both Virgil and Tasso, though
the author had no time to polish and correct its rough and occasionally somewhat
wooden versification. But the fundamental idea—the duty of Hungarian valour
to shake off the Turkish yoke, with the help of God—is sublime, and the whole
work is intense with martial and religious enthusiasin. It is no unworthy companion
of the other epics of the Renaissance period, and had many imitators. Arany
first, in 1848, began to recast the Zrinyiad, as he called it, on modern lines,
and the work was completed by Antal Vékóny in 1892.